Chapter 5 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You'll see. Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for. Shall you ever begin to understand these people? I shan't.” “And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.
Chapter 5 of Actions and reactions is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Shall you ever begin to understand these people?”
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading ““And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.”
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.”
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading ““And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.”
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading ““And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.”
by good fortune
From this reading “Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.”
past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading “Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.”
an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading “Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Shall you ever begin to understand these people?
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
at any time
From this reading Shall you ever begin to understand these people?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading “And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I shan't.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.
by good fortune
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Shall you ever begin to understand these people?
past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You'll see.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Shall you ever begin to understand these people?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I shan't.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Shall you ever begin to understand these people?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Shall you ever begin to understand these people?
an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading Luckily the tradition of the house is boys, Mrs. Cloke says, so I'm provided for.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Shall you ever begin to understand these people?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “And we bought it for fun--for fun!” he groaned.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Shall you ever begin to understand these people?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You'll see.
Chapter 5 of Actions and reactions by Rudyard Kipling holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 5 holds 216 sentences of Actions and reactions, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Actions and reactions by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 sentences, grouped into 44 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Actions and reactions by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4931 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2381 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2381, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 410 minutes of reading across 987 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Actions and reactions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Actions and reactions to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Actions and reactions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
